10 Sri Lankan Foods Every Traveller Must Try

One of the best ways to experience Sri Lanka is through its food.

Sri Lankan cuisine is known for bold spices, aromatic curries, coconut-based dishes, fresh ingredients, and a unique combination of sweet, sour, spicy, and savoury flavours.

From a traditional rice and curry lunch to a plate of hot kottu on a busy street, food is an important part of everyday life in Sri Lanka.

If you are visiting the island for the first time, here are 10 Sri Lankan foods every traveller should try.

1. Rice & Curry

Best for: Experiencing traditional Sri Lankan cuisine

Rice and curry is one of the most important meals in Sri Lankan cuisine. Although it sounds simple, a traditional Sri Lankan rice and curry meal can include several different dishes served together:

• Steamed rice
• Dhal curry
• Vegetable curries
• Fish or chicken curry
• Coconut sambol
• Mallung
• Papadum
• Pickles or chutney

The flavours can be very different from one curry to another, making every meal an experience of its own.

2. Hoppers (Appa)

Best for: Breakfast or dinner

Hoppers, locally known as Appa, are bowl-shaped pancakes made from a fermented rice-flour batter. The edges are thin and crispy while the centre is softer.

• Plain Hopper: A simple crispy hopper served with curry or sambol.
• Egg Hopper: An egg is cracked into the centre while the hopper is cooking.
• Sweet Hopper: Some versions are served with sweet fillings or coconut-based ingredients.

3. Kottu Roti

Best for: Street food and a late-night meal

Kottu is one of Sri Lanka's most recognisable street foods. It is made by chopping pieces of godamba roti together with vegetables, eggs, meat, cheese, and spices on a hot metal cooking surface.

The distinctive sound of metal blades chopping the roti is often part of the kottu experience.

Popular varieties include vegetable kottu, egg kottu, chicken kottu, and cheese kottu.

4. Pol Sambol

Best for: Adding flavour to almost any meal

Pol sambol is a spicy coconut-based side dish made using grated coconut, chilli, onion, lime, and seasoning. It is simple but packed with flavour.

You may find it served alongside hoppers, string hoppers, roti, and rice and curry.

5. String Hoppers (Indi Appa)

Best for: Breakfast or dinner

String hoppers, known locally as Indi Appa, are thin rice-flour noodles pressed into small circular nests and steamed. They are usually eaten with curries and coconut-based side dishes such as dhal and coconut sambol.

6. Sri Lankan Samosa & Short Eats

Best for: Quick snacks

Sri Lanka has its own popular collection of short eats—small savoury snacks commonly enjoyed with tea or as a quick meal:

• Fish rolls
• Vegetable rolls
• Cutlets
• Patties
• Vadai
• Chinese rolls

7. Ambul Thiyal

Best for: Seafood lovers

Ambul Thiyal is a traditional Sri Lankan sour fish curry, particularly associated with the southern coastal region. The fish is cooked with spices and ingredients including goraka, which gives the dish its distinctive tangy sour flavour.

8. Wambatu Moju

Best for: Trying Sri Lankan pickled flavours

Wambatu moju is a popular Sri Lankan dish made primarily with fried eggplant. The eggplant is combined with onion, chilli, vinegar, and spices to create a delicious balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and savoury flavours.

9. Pol Roti

Best for: Breakfast and tea-time snacks

Pol roti is a simple traditional flatbread made using flour and grated coconut. A warm piece of pol roti with spicy lunu miris and a cup of tea makes a simple but delicious Sri Lankan snack.

10. Watalappan

Best for: Dessert

After all the spicy curries and savoury dishes, it is time for something sweet. Watalappan is a traditional dessert made using coconut milk, jaggery, eggs, and spices. It has a soft, pudding-like texture and a rich caramel flavour.